Amazon’s Advantage
Citing Markup Investigation, Lawmakers Demand Answers from Amazon
Members of Congress have asked Amazon to respond to an investigation by The Markup about giving its private label brands a leg up
Adrianne Jeffries
Investigative Reporter
Adrianne Jeffries worked with The Markup data journalism team to discover and tell stories about inequality, examine the power platforms exert, and explore the consequences of automating decisions. She left in October 2021.
Before joining The Markup, she worked as a reporter for The Verge, as managing editor at Motherboard, and as an editor and reporter at The Outline. She started writing about tech a decade ago as a reporter for what was then called ReadWriteWeb, and has also freelanced for The New York Times, Businessweek, and Zero Point Zero Production.
Show Your WorkAmazon’s Advantage
How We Analyzed Amazon’s Treatment of Its “Brands” in Search Results
We found that Amazon routinely puts its own brands and exclusive products first, above competitors with better ratings and more reviews
Amazon’s Advantage
Amazon Puts Its Own “Brands” First Above Better-Rated Products
The online giant gives a leg up to hundreds of house brand and exclusive products that most people don’t know are connected to Amazon
Amazon’s Advantage
When Amazon Takes the Buy Box, It Doesn’t Give It Up
Many merchants sell the exact same item, including Amazon, which picks a winner–often itself
Google the Giant
Lawmakers Propose Federal Legislation to Stop Google Preferencing Itself in Search Results
The bill comes after a subcommittee chair cited a Markup investigation as evidence the company was building a closed ecosystem
2020 in Review
Google’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Yet Still Extremely Profitable 2020
Alphabet ran a gantlet of regulatory threats as the pandemic diminished, and then boosted, profits
Google the Giant
As Antitrust Pressure Mounts, Google to Pull Back Benefit to News Sites That Adopted Its Preferred Mobile Technology
Will the AMP format die as a result?
Election 2020
What Will the Internet Look Like on Nov. 3?
The end of the election is likely to inspire a tsunami of misinformation and anger online. Here's what the major platforms say they're doing about it
Google the Giant
In Historic Antitrust Lawsuit, DOJ Cites Banned Words and Google Self-Preferencing As Supporting Evidence
The lawsuit noted that the company pushes down “organic” results and tells employees to avoid words that have implications in antitrust law—practices revealed by two investigations by The Markup
Google the Giant
How to Stop Google Self-Preferencing? Europe May Not Be the Model
A congressional subcommittee last week recommended new nondiscrimination rules for big tech firms, but experts say the trick is enforcement
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